The corridos are the Mexican offsprings of the Spanish romance. They express feelings and ideas, triumphs and defeats, pains and happiness which are so overflowing to constitute a collective importance for the Mexican folk. The corrido is the language of the people. At one time it played the role of the press: the news used to spread all over the countryside in songs, rather than in newspapers which were no important sources of information in an overwhelmingly illiterate country. Only the most important events or the great personalities deserved to be sung about in a corrido, but they sometimes also immortalize scenes of the everyday life of the internal parts of the country.

The corrido is characterized by spontaneity, and by a simple language and melody. It uses few poetic tools, but it is very concise, and gives more importance to the rhythm than to the form. Its classical form is the quatrain 8a 8b 8a 8b which also permits more than one poems to be sung with the same melody. This is why they can also easily be modified and actualized, so that one corrido lives on in several versions.

According to the man of letters, politician, speaker and poet of native Mexican blood Andrés Henestrosa, the circumstances favorable to the birth of the corrido were provided by the formation of national feeling and identity. It was born together with the Independence, but it reached its climax during the Revolution, with the collective rejection of “Porfirism” that took its name from the Mexican dictator Porfirio Díaz (1876-1911) and of forced Europization (Díaz was one of the great promoters of French culture among the Mexican high society). This was the longest and most supported phase of national rebirth, the one with the deepest roots in Mexican reality, and therefore the most popular one.

The Revolution originated in the conflict between the new parties, as the old ones ceased to exist with the arrival of Porfirio Díaz to the power. The resistance against his reelection was organized by Francisco I. Madero who also launched the armed rebellion. Later the movement was divided in factions, as in fact it was never united but by the hatred against the common enemy, that is Díaz. The factions were formed according to the most influential generals and the regions where they camped. The most important ones were Venustiano Carranza in the North (it was him to prepare the Constitution of 1917, still in force in Mexico), Emiliano Zapata in Central Mexico, Pancho Villa,Pascual Orozco and Álvaro Obregón in the North (Obregón was to become the co-founder of the Partido Nacional Revolucionario, predecessor of the Partido Revolucionario Institucional that maintained the power from the foundation of the PNR in 1929 until 2000).

However, Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata were the personalities embraced by the greatest popular devotion, and their names have been used to give credit to certain movements, like the Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (EZLN) or the Frente Popular Francisco Villa (FPFV).

I have chosen some of the most famous corridos, and some of those that I like the most, hoping that you would also love them. Enjoy.

La Rielera. I learned this corrido while singing in the school choir, and I have always loved it. The rielera – the railwaywoman – worked for the railways, in this case for the central railways connecting the city of México with the North. Lerdo, Gómez and Torreón are cities in the northern states (Durango and Coahuila) which at that time were important mining regions, especially Torreón. This song is from the period of the Revolution splitting into factions, when the Carrancistas (of Venustiano Carranza) fought against the Villistas (of Francisco Villa).

I’m a railwaywoman and I love Juanhe’s my life and I’m his delight;when they say the train is leaving,adiós, my railwaywoman, your Juan is leaving.

When the engine-driver saysthat the train is leaving for San Juan,I already bring his basketwith which he’s going to refine.

I have a pair of pistolswith an ivory headto defend myself, if necessary,against those of the railway.

I have a pair of pistolswith a precise aimingwith one shot for my loverand another for my enemy.

Adiós, boys of Lerdo,of Gómez and of Torreónthe maintainers are already leavingthe turn is over forever.

I have a pair of horsesfor the Revolutionone is called Robinand the other Sparrow.

They say the Carrancistasare like scorpionwhen the Villistas are comingthey run away with lifted tail.

I know that as you see me in uniformyou believe I come to ask of youalthough I come to you, brown girl,to look for your favors.

As you see me in bootsyou believe me to be a soldieralthough I’m only a poor railwaymanat the Central Railways.

La Adelita. This is one of the most famous Mexican corridos. The Revolution was not only the case of the soldiers. The troops were also followed by women and children who took care of the solders and feeded them, healed the ill and the wounded, etc. [This is a scene with the famous actresses María Félix and Dolores del Río, in a film from the golden age of the Mexican cinema, that presented the women following the soldiers in the time of the war.]

On the top of the rocky mountainthere was an army campedand a courageous women followed themfallen in love with the sergeant.

Everyone appreciated Adelitawho loved the sergeantas she was courageous and beautifuleven the colonel estimated her.

And they heard that it was toldby him who loved her so much:

If Adelita wanted to be mineif Adelita wanted to be my wifeI’d buy her a silk garmentto take her to dance in the caserm.

And if Adelita went with anotherI’d follow her over land and seawith a battleship on the seaand with a military train on land.

And as the cruel battle was overand the army retired to the campthe sobbing of a woman was heardher crying filling the whole camp.

The sergeant heared it, and fearingto loose his adored foreverconcealing his pain in himselfhe sang like this to his lover:

And they heard that it was toldby him who was dying so much:

And if I died in the battleand my body was buried thereAdelita, I ask you for Godto come there and cry over me.

El Mayor de los Dorados. The dorados (“gilded ones”) were the “elit forces” of Pancho Villa, the most famous general together with Emiliano Zapata. Villa fought in the North. Parral is in Chihuahua, a border state near to the United States. This corrido is also from the splitting of the Revolution in factions. Álvaro Obregón was a very important and very competent general, later President of Mexico.

I was the soldier of Francisco Villaof the world famous generalwho, even if sitting on a simple chairdid not envy that of the President.

Now I live on the seashoreremembering those immortal timesAy… Ay…Now I live on the seashoreremembering Parral and Villa.

I was one of the doradosmade a Major by chanceand made crippled by the warwhile defending the country and honor.

I remember of times pasthow we fought against the invadertoday I recall the times pastthe dorados of whom I was a Major.

My horse, ridden so many times by medied under me in Jiméneza bullet intended to merun across his body.

While dying, he neighed of painand gave his life for the countryAy… Ay…while dying, he neighed of painhow much I cried when he died!

Pancho Villa, I keep youin my memories and in my hearteven if sometimes we were beatenby the troops of Álvaro Obregón.

I was always your loyal soldieruntil the end of the RevolutionAy… Ay…I was always your loyal soldierfighting always in front of the cannons.

Caballo Prieto Azabache. (My dark horse) Ah, this is one of my favorite corridos. It speaks of a soldier crying for his horse who had saved his life when the troops of Villa were going to execute him. The Mauser were the firearms used in the Revolution. They were first imported from Germany to Mexico by Porfirio Díaz who also founded a local factory to produce them.

My dark horse, how could Iforget you, I own you my lifewhen the troops loyal to Pancho Villawere going to execute me

It was a cloudy nightand I was surprised by an outpostand having disarmed methey sentenced me to death.

As I was already in the death cellVilla was saying to his aide-de-campput this horse for me asideas it is educated and obedient.

La Cucaracha. (The cockroach) One of the most popular songs of the Revolution in Mexico and the best known one in abroad. As children, we were taught a very innocent version in the school, with no marijuana and no revolutionaries in the lyrics.

The cockroach, the cockroachcannot walk any moreas he has no moremarijuana to smoke.

The Carrancistas are leavingthey are leaving with empty stomachfor the Villistas saythey are going to die of hunger.

Poor cockroachis bitterly complainingthat he has no ironed clothesbecause of the lack of carbon.

(Choir)

Poor Madero is leftby almost everyoneHuerta, the drunken banditis only good for an ox to plough.

We take unstarched clothesday after dayand without such chicwe are considered blockheads.

(Choir)

Everyone is fighting for the chairwhich is the source of much moneyPancho Villa at the Northand at the South viva Zapata!

I am excited to laugh at one thing:to see Pancho Villa without a shirtand I am terrified by one thing:to see the vile Huerta in a shirt.

(Choir)

I need a good Fordto arrive to the placewhere the Conventionwas sent by Zapata.

A colorful parrotsays to a mottled onewhoever jokes with my countrylet him be taken by the …

(Choir)

Some plunder a lotand then are hidden far awayprotected by the lawwhile we are considered guilty.

(Choir)

How beautiful are the camp-followerswhen dancing the fandangoViva Pánfilo Naterathe pride of Durango.

The cockroach is already deadhe is taken to be buriedhe is followed by four eaglesand by the mouse of the church.

La Valentina. Another famous song of the Revolution, and one of my favorites. Even if it does not speak about the war, but about one fallen in love with “Valentina”, while he knows how dangerous it is to love her.

Valentina, Valentina,I would like to tell youwhat a passion rules methat made me to come here.

They say that your loveis a curse that follows your loverbut let the devil take itI also know how to die.

Even if I drink tequila todaytomorrow I’ll drink sherryeven if I’m seen drunk todaytomorrow they’ll not see me like that.

Valentina, Valentina,I fall on my knees at your feetif tomorrow they will kill meI’ll only be killed only once.